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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · land · board · pound · patient · kick · fan · march

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. march — the month
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. march — music
  6. land — a country
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. land — to come down
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rash — a series
  12. kick — in football
  13. board — to get on
  14. land — ground
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com